Cherrydrop's Choice
by Kanizheba
Summary: When Cherrypaw, an apprentice, bears her leader's kits at such a young age, her Clan gives her a choice; leave, and raise your own kits, or stay and let another queen raise them. What Cherrypaw chooses will affect every cat in the three Clans. How does she cope with this huge responsibility?
1. Prologue - Surviving

Prologue

"Watch out! There are HoneyClan warriors in camp!"

A tiny kit's yowl broke the silence in the camp. The warriors' ears lifted in alarm, but glanced over to the source and saw little Snowkit with his siblings. "Silverstar!" Snowkit meowed. "You'll never get away with this!"

"We're going to take over MudClan, Patchstar!" Lionkit sneered to his brother, acting as HoneyClan leader, Silverstar.

Cherrypaw looked away from the kits' play battle. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sandflower and her mate, Stripedbelly, sharing a magpie. She strained her ears to hear their conversation.

"...and she's getting bigger every day. How many kits do you suppose she'll have?" Stripedbelly's deep growly voice stood out. Cherrypaw knew they were talking about her. She was the youngest cat in the history of the Clans to have kits.

"Only StarClan knows. She's been getting uncomfortable because of her large belly and being so young. I wonder how she'll cope with this large litter at such a young age." Sandflower's eyes flicked over to Cherrypaw for one moment, then rested back on her mate.

"She'll have to, or give them up to you. Our kits are nearly apprentices, and Pinestep can give you herbs to help you make more milk, like she did when they were first born."

Cherrypaw's mind went back to before she was expecting kits. How easy it was, being an apprentice, without the eyes of her Clanmates watching her, judging her. She was so innocent then.

Her mind went back to the present, and she saw her brother Rockpaw pad towards her. "Don't worry about what they say," he mewed into her ear. She purred when he sat down next to her, happy her brother still loved her. Ever since she had become mates with her mentor, Patchstar, the Clan was always scrutinizing her. Patchstar wouldn't admit to being mates to her, not yet.

"I'll wait until you're a warrior," he always told her. "Then I'll tell them."

_He __won__'__t __even __share __a __piece __of __prey __with __me __any more__! __Things __didn__'__t __work __out __like __he __planned__. _Rockpaw nudged a mouse toward her. "I caught this for you."

"Thanks." She clawed at the mouse, then started to eat it. She finished it in only a heartbeat. Rockpaw purred. "It's not long," he said, then padded towards the entrance where Stripedbelly sat now, waiting.

Cherrypaw sat up, feeling sharp pains in her belly. _Wait__. __This __is __it__._

She watched in dismay as Rockpaw left the camp, wishing he could be with her during this important time. She tried to walk, but her legs wouldn't carry her through this pain.

"Pinestep!" she cried, hoping Pinestep was in the camp. Sandflower rushed over from across the clearing.  
"I'll take you into the nursery!" Sandflower meowed, taking most of Cherrypaw's weight for her as she trudged across camp.

As she slumped into her nest, Sandflower left to get Pinestep.

The pain was getting unbearable, and Cherrypaw let out a wail. She blacked out from the pain, but heard Sandflower rush back in.

"She's coming, hang in there Cherrypaw!" she cried.

Cherrypaw's jaws slipped open and let out another ear-splitting screech. The tangy scent of blood filled the air, and she heard Pinestep enter.

"Bite this!" Pinestep shoved a stick in between Cherrypaw's teeth, but another wave of pain ripped through her body and the stick turned into splinters. She spit them out.

Patchstar's voice sounded. _I __didn__'__t __hear __him __come __in__._ "Is she going to be alright?" he asked Pinestep.

"She will if she keeps pushing!" She felt Pinestep's paw against her flank.

"Come on, Cherrypaw," she urged. "You have to survive this!"

Cherrypaw couldn't speak, all she could do was yowl. She heard a bundle of wet fur hit the moss in her nest.

"Four more." Pinestep meowed, with her paw still pressed against Cherrypaw's flank.

_Can __I __really __survive __this __long__?_

Another wet bundle hit the moss. Sandflower was licking the first one, and Patchstar joined in.

"She's not doing well." Pinestep muttered to Patchstar. "You need to stay here."

Cherrypaw realized Patchstar was trying to leave. _Flea__-__brained __coward__! __Can__'__t __even __face __what __he __caused__!_ Cherrypaw could only moan in pain, all the energy left her body.

"Should I do a procedure that might cost her life, Patchstar?" Cherrypaw heard Pinestep whisper. "It would save the kits, but Cherrypaw would be lost."

"Do it," he whispered back. "We need this kits for MudClan."

_I __can__'__t __be __selfish__. __My __kits __come __first._ Cherrypaw thought to herself, blocking out the pain. _I __can__'__t __be __selfish__. __My __kits __come __first__._

"This is my fault," he whispered into Cherrypaw's ears. "I'm sorry."

_Please__, __StarClan__! __Let __me __live__!_

"She might be able to heal from this, knowing she is young and capable," Pinestep added.

"Do all you can." Patchstar continued to lick his kit. "Cherrypaw, if you can hear me, you have 2 sons waiting for you, so far."

Pinestep held her breath. She heard little voices at the entrance to the nursery, and Sandflower shooed them away. It seemed as if the whole of the Clan was holding it's breath.

Pain, once again, though not as potent, filled her belly. One slicing line down her midsection, from Pinestep's claw. _Is __this __what __dying __feels __like__?_

The pain started to ebb, and she felt numb all over.

"Another tom and two she-kits," Patchstar whispered, with horror edging his voice. Sandflower helped lick the other kits dry. They were mewling with hunger.

"If she survives, she cannot nurse. Sandflower, you can still nurse; will you nurse these kits?" Pinestep meowed, putting cobwebs on Cherrypaw's belly. "I am already," Sandflower mewed from across the den. _What __a __good __friend__!_

Cherrypaw felt a tickle in her throat, and coughed. "She's alive!" their leader gasped.

"So far." Pinestep was grave. _I __am __going __to __be __able __to __raise __my __own __kits__! _

"I am going to make her a warrior right now, so that if she dies, she will die as a MudClan warrior, fighting all the way to the end."

He paused, thinking, for a moment. Cherrypaw's pain started to return.

"I, Patchstar, leader of MudClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." There was now fear edging Patchstar's voice, tinged with love. _He __still__ loves __me__._

"We know that she promises to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend her Clan, even at the cost of her life," he mewed. "By the powers of StarClan, I give Cherrypaw her warrior name. Everyone, from this moment, Cherrypaw will be known as Cherrydrop. StarClan honors her endurance and courage, and we welcome her as a full warrior of MudClan."

"Cherrydrop, Cherrydrop!" Pinestep and Sandflower yowled. The kits mewled in protest against the noise.

"...Thank...you..." she managed to gasp. Patchstar licked her cheek as she lay. "I am pardoning you from vigil," he added. "StarClan will see that you need your rest."

"You are going to live, Cherrydrop," Pinestep mewed happily. "You are going to be able to raise your kits."


	2. Chapter 1 - Discovery

Chapter One

As dawn broke, sunshine dappled the valley that concealed MudClan camp. Life was beginning to stir as dawn patrol left and the queens started to wake up for some fresh-kill from the day before.

Blackkit was woken by her mother as she left the nest, followed by Cherrydrop. The queens whispered quietly as they squeezed out of the den. Next to Blackkit, her brother Runningkit yawned and opened his eyes slowly. "Go back to sleep," he murmured.

"You can, but I'm going to explore," Blackkit whispered back. The nursery was warm and comforting, but in order to be a warrior Blackkit had to leave sometime.

_Why __not __now__!_

The black kit hurled herself out of the nursery and hit the rocky ground with a thud. _I__didn__'__t__know__the__camp__was__so__big__!_ Large, rocky cliffs jutted up on either side, with a narrow pathway that led to the top of the valley. Blackkit strained her eyes, but she couldn't even see beyond the tall walls of rock!

"Blackkit! Why are you out of the nursery, without permission?"

The tiny green-eyed kit shifted her vision to an angry Sandflower. Her flat face held lines of worry, and her creamy white fur bristled. "You should have asked me or Cherrydrop if you could have explored!"

"But no one else was in there and I didn't want to wait!" Blackkit argued, but she knew it was no use. Sandflower always won arguments.

"A good warrior knows patience. You do want to become a warrior, right?" The queen started to settle down and picked Blackkit up by the scruff.

"Let her explore," came a voice from behind Sandflower. The amber-eyed cat turned and saw none other than the MudClan leader, Patchstar. The creamy queen set Blackkit down and turned to face him. "I guess," Sandflower sighed and walked back to the fresh-kill pile to join her friend Cherrydrop.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" Patchstar mewed, looking down warmly at Blackkit.

"You're the leader," Blackkit blurted.

"And?"

"I don't know!" the little black kit mewled. She didn't know the answer! Would Patchstar get mad at her?

"I'm your father," he whispered. He leaned down and licked the top of her head. Blackkit was Patchstar's daughter!

"Are you Runningkit and Dawnkit's father too?" she asked, her eyes wide. She was a leader's daughter. She could do whatever she wanted

"Well, of course, little one. Now wake up your littermates, I want to take you all on a walk around the Great Valley." The giant black-and-white cat nudged her towards the nursery, and she bounded in, accidentally tripping over sleeping Dawnkit. "Hey!"

"Sorry, Dawnkit. Runningkit! Wake up!" she mewed. "Patchstar wants to take us on a walk!"

"It's too early," Dawnkit whined and turned over in the nest. Blackkit started to groom her face, knowing that would wake her up.

"It's only a little past dawn! Come on!" she urged. Patchstar would surely get mad if they weren't out there soon.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Dawnkit stood up slowly and shook her pelt. Runningkit was still fast asleep. The little brown tabby must have been dreaming; his paws were twitching.

"Runningkit!" Dawnkit yowled loudly. She must have woken up the whole Clan!

Runningkit jumped up onto his paws with a growl, his fur bristled and eyes wide. He was still dazed with sleep.

"Runningkit, Patchstar is going to take us on a walk!" Blackkit told him. The three kits bounded out of the nursery, all green eyes glistening with excitement. When they reached the middle of camp, Blackkit was confused. Patchstar was here, earlier. Where was he now?

"Over there!" Dawnkit's mew made her shift her gaze. He was talking to Cherrydrop.

"I think they are mates." Blackkit mewed.

"But, Sandflower is our mother," Runningkit said with confusion.

"Wow! Cherrydrop is mates with the _leader__!_" Dawnkit's eyes were wide with awe as she changed the subject.. "I can't wait till I have my own kits, maybe I will be mates with the leader too!"

"You couldn't be, moss-brain!" Blackkit purred. "I'm going to be the leader!"

"No, you aren't," Runningkit interrupted. "I think Sandflower should be the leader. She's so gentle and kind!"

"Sandflower's a queen, and queens can't be leaders, Runningkit," Blackkit held her breath as Patchstar got done chatting with Cherrydrop.

"Are you and Cherrydrop mates?" Dawnkit blurted out, and got a thump on her head from Runningkit's paw.

He purred, whiskers twitching. Blackkit saw a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Let's get on with that walk." He turned around and padded towards the camp entrance, and squeezed through the dead vines. Blackkit led her siblings out, behind her father.

"Wow! This place is HUGE!" Runningkit's eyes were open with wonder. It was true; the little brown tabby just couldn't help himself from stating the obvious.

"Of course it is, moss-brain," Dawnkit muttered under her breath. "I can't wait until I'm a warrior and can climb all the way to the top!"

"All three of you will be great warriors," Patchstar purred with a tinge of pride."You're my kits, after all."

The three kits followed their father around the outside of the camp walls. "Our camp is surrounded by vines and shrubs," he meowed, "so it is easy to defend. There is also a mud patch near the entrance, but it's not nearly as big as the one in Pine Grove, at the top of the valley."

Dawnkit scampered over to the mud patch and stuck a paw in it. "Yuck!" she yowled, and tried to lick off the mud.

"We MudClan cats, in order to camouflage, roll in this mud when we are leaving for patrolling, hunting, or battling. It disguises our scent," Patchstar's whiskers twitched when Runningkit took a leap into the mud patch, covering himself with the thick substance.

Blackkit's nose wrinkled. In order to be a warrior, she had to cover herself in yucky, icky _mud__?_ Gross!

"How do we wash off?" Dawnkit mewed, now knee-deep in the mud.

"There's a stream on the other side of the camp walls you can wash off in. Off we go, now." Patchstar took the lead once again, with Blackkit at his heels.

After splashing around in the creekbed, Runningkit yawned, and it spread to Dawnkit. They hadn't realized that exploring was so _exhausting__!_

"Can we go back now?" Blackkit murmured to Patchstar with a yawn.

"Of course, kits." He picked up the already dozing off Runningkit by the scruff. "I hope Sandflowerwon't be mad at me," he purred.

"She won't! I promise!" Blackkit blurted, hoping it was true. Sandflower was known for a short temper about everything.

"I thought Sandflower was mates with Stripedbelly," Dawnkit mewed. Patchstar didn't hear her. The leader and his kits slipped through the vines. Larkcry was behind them, leading her hunting patrol back into the camp. Blackkit scented mice and voles.

"Yummy!" she exclaimed, and licked her lips. They reached the middle of camp, as the patrol set down the prey in the fresh-kill pile.

The patrol, consisting of Larkcry, Poolripple, and their apprentices Lionpaw and Seedpaw. Larkcry padded stiffly over to the three kits and gave each a lick.

"You're Cherrydrop's mother, right?" Dawnkit yawned again. The senior warrior nodded. Lionpaw and Seedpaw, behind her, started snickering. They were so _big__!_

Blackkit yawned, and looked over to see Runningkit dozing off. He was curled in the sunshine, with Dawnkit laying over his flank. The black, green-eyed kit decided to join them. Because she was the youngest, she curled up in front of Runningkit's belly. Larkcry's eyes were warm as she watched the youngest members of the Clan get comfortable in the camp. Patchstar nodded, and the cats padded away.

The wave of sleep, blacker than Blackkit's soft fur, rolled over the three kits as they delicately closed their eyes.


	3. Chapter 2 - Contempt

Chapter 2

It was a full-moon. The cats who were selected to go to the Gathering had already left, and Blackkit was left in the nursery with her mother's friend, Cherrydrop, and her siblings. It seemed as if they were the only cats in camp, as the elders were already peacefully sleeping.

"You need to go to sleep soon," Cherrydrop snapped as Blackkit pawed her brother's face.

"But we're not even tired," complained Dawnkit. "We took a nap this afternoon."

"Well, I _am_ tired and it isn't my job to look after you." The brown tabby she-cat had an odd expression; was it remorse? Fear?

"I'm hungry," Runningkit mewed.

"You're _always_ hungry!" Blackkit pawed his face again playfully.

"Cherrydrop, is it true that you and Patchstar are mates?" Dawnkit questioned innocently. Cherrydrop ignored the question, and curled up in her nest. Why wouldn't anyone ever answer Dawnkit's simple question?

Runningkit, stealthily, climbed out of the nest. Cherrydrop was facing the other way. He scampered over, as quiet as a mouse, and pounced on her tail.

"Mrr-oww!" she yowled, and jumped. Blackkit realized Runningkit looked very similar to Cherrydrop, side to side.

"Are you and Sandflower kin?" Blackkit mewed questioningly. Her and Runningkit almost looked like mother and son!

"All MudClan cats are like kin," Cherrydrop replied, smoothing her bristled fur. She always found a way to dodge questions.

By now, the three kits were getting a big drowsy. Tomorrow was another day of misadventures in camp, and they needed their beauty sleep.

Blackkit curled up beside Dawnkit, and Runningkit fell asleep in Cherrydrop's nest. The two brown tabbies looked scarily identical, and Blackkit was sure there was some sort of resemblance between them. After comparing them two, Blackkit wondered what she looked like to the other cats. She had already seen her black fur, but what did her face look like?

"Cherrydrop," she murmured through the nest drowsily. "Can I look in the stream to see what I look like tomorrow?"

"Sure," a soft mew sounded back. It comforted Blackkit, but not enough.

"Can I sleep in that nest with you and Runningkit?" the little black kit pleaded.

"I guess," she sighed, and moved over a bit.

"I wanna come too!" Dawnkit exclaimed and joined Blackkit on the trek over.

The three kits settled in Cherrydrop's nest, Runningkit snoring and Dawnkit dozing. Blackkit turned on her back to look at the sky through the shrub roof. The moon was shining down on her, and she glanced at the now sleeping Cherrydrop. The moonlight made her beautiful; her shiny fur glistened, beckoning all cats of StarClan to look to her. Her tabby spots contrasted with the light brown, and in turn made her look like a star-bound cat of StarClan.

Blackkit drunk her scent; it was different than Sandflower's. Sandflower's was warm and nice, but Cherrydrop was... comforting, in a different way. Her scent triggered emotions of safeness, of family, of... kinship.

Could it be true, that Cherrydrop and Blackkit are kin?

. . .

"Let all cats old enough to disguise their fur gather under the Highcliff for a Clan meeting."

The traditional call for MudClan cats rang over all of the camp. Sunhigh had arrived, and sunlight bathed the Great Valley.

Blackkit waited by the entrance to the nursery with her siblings and Sandflower. Her mother was grooming Dawnkit, then moved to Runningkit. Their pelts gleamed in the sun.

The cats were beginning to gather. Poolripple sat beside her sister, Pinestep, and on Pinestep's other side sat Snowpaw, the medicine cat apprentice.

Stripedbelly sat on the ground beside the Highcliff path, gleaming at the three six-moon-old kits. Robinfeather, the deputy, purred as she walked past the kits, making her way up to the Highcliff to sit beside the leader.

"I like Robinfeather," Runningkit mewed with a adoring look in his eyes.

"Shh! Patchstar is about to talk!" Rockpelt, next to Cherrydrop, shushed the brown tabby kit.

"Everyone in this camp knows my three kits, Runningkit, Dawnkit, and Blackkit. Today, they have turned six moons old and in turn I believe it is time to give them their apprentice names."

Patchstar swallowed so hard Blackkit saw his throat move.

"Dawnkit."

Dawnkit, so nervous she was shaking, made her way across the camp to the path to the Highcliff. Blackkit held her breath as she climbed up the steep slope. Robinfeather leaned her head down and grabbed the kit by the scruff, and pulled her up, seeing how nervous she was.

"Rockpelt, please come forward." Rockpelt was already on his way up the rocky slope.

"From this day forward, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice will be called Dawnpaw. Rockpelt, I admire your loyalty to your Clan and your calm disposition. May you pass down all you know to your apprentice."

Dawnpaw touched her nose to Rockpelt's as the Clan called her new name. Blackkit made sure to cheer as loud as she could.

"Dawnpaw! Dawnpaw!"

"Runningkit."

Runningkit bounded across the clearing with his head held high, true to his name.

"From this day forward, until he has earned his warrior name, this apprentice will be called Runningpaw. Stripedbelly," Stripedbelly had made his way up without Blackkit noticing. _What __a __sly __cat__! _"you have shown yourself to be a warrior of much courage. Robinfeather taught you well. I hope you will pass down all you know to your apprentice."

Patchstar's eyes shifted from Runningpaw and Stripedbelly to Blackkit.

"Blackkit," he mewed with warmth in his gaze.

This was it! Blackkit's paws twitched with excitement as she nobly walked up the Highcliff slope, passing Runningpaw and Stripedbelly on their way down.

Blackkit could see the whole entire Great Valley from the Highcliff. The sun was still high above their heads.

"From this day forward, until she has earned her warrior name, this apprentice will be called Blackpaw." _Blackpaw__!_ She now knew who her mentor was, since no other warrior was without an apprentice now.

"Robinfeather, you are my deputy. You have shown your loyalty countless times, and I know you will pass down all you know to my kit." Blackpaw saw Robinfeather's eyes gleaming.

The Clan, all the way down below, was chanting _her_name now. "Blackpaw, Blackpaw!" The cats looked like beetles from up here! She touched her nose to Robinfeather's.

From up at this height, Blackpaw saw the entrance vines shivering. Who was coming in? There were no patrols because of the ceremony...

The cats stopped chanting and their glances moved to the entrance. Patchstar started to bound down the Highcliff path, and a shiny, silver pelted cat appeared sided with muscular large toms.

"It's Silverstar!" sneered Poolripple. Robinfeather was on her way down, while Blackpaw stood, motionless and scared.

"We have decided," the silver tom spoke with a raspy voice that was tinged with age, "HoneyClan needs more territory."

The tom next to him spoke up. "We are asking for the strip of land beside the Pine Grove, close to our territory."

"Never!" sneered Stripedbelly, his fur bristling. Blackpaw decided to come down, feeling awkward at this great height.

"Silverstar," Patchstar meowed, "you will not be getting any of our territory."

"Then we will have to take it by force. Remember, your Clan's blood is on your paws. You had the choice." Silverstar groomed his chest with contempt in his gaze, still staring at Patchstar. He raised his head slowly, up to the sky.

"HoneyClan, attack!"

Cats streamed in from various sides of the camp, with mud in their paws.

_StarClan__, __we __need __you __now__!_


	4. Chapter 3 - The End of it All

Chapter 3 - The End of it All

The sky wasn't visible.

The MudClan camp had erupted with fighting. Since the three littermates didn't have any training whatsoever, they tried to work their way to the edge of camp. Dawnpaw was caught in a battle with a furious sleek she-cat, so Blackpaw and Runningpaw unsheathed their claws and tried to fight her off.

Dawnpaw's sleek fur was turning crimson with blood. From across the camp, Blackpaw saw that Rockpelt's amber eyes were constantly on his new apprentice. "Don't expose your belly!" he screeched to her.

The blood roared in Blackpaw's ears; then she developed a plan. Since she was small enough, she slid under the she-cat's belly and used her thorn-sharp claws to slice her belly. The she-cat yowled, and Blackpaw crawled out from under her.

"Retreat!" she heard a cat yowl. Was that Patchstar, or Silverstar?

Blackpaw turned her vision towards the source of the noise, but instead saw her own Clanmates running. Pinestep had been the one to sound the call.

Fear scent was everywhere throughout the camp. As she was running with her Clanmates, Blackpaw couldn't see; what just happened? She had just been made an apprentice, and she should be out with Robinfeather, Rockpelt, and Stripedbelly, exploring the territory with her littermates, learning about the prey...

"What happened to Patchstar?" Sandflower's voice snapped Blackpaw back to reality. Her Clanmates had stopped running, and she had no idea where she was.

Pinestep was carrying the large black and white tom, despite her petite stature.

"He lost a life," she said gravely, her gaze referring to his large belly wound. More secretly, she whispered to Sandflower, "He only has three left."

"Everyone knows that Silverstar is on his last, why did he just fling himself into battle like that?" Stripedbelly clawed the ground with his huge claws, leaving large crevices behind.

"Obviously HoneyClan needs more prey, or something," Pinestep muttered. "Their whole Clan was practically there."

"And did you see how boney they were?" Poolripple piped in from the outside of the group, licking her flank wounds.

"Well, now they are in our camp, free to take whatever they want," muttered Larkcry. She was limping, and her back leg looked severely strained.

Blackpaw realized where they were; she had never been here before, but seen this place from a distance. They were still in the Great Valley, but way farther down.

"We need to go back to camp. I need my herbs to help these cats!" Pinestep meowed, with Snowpaw at her side.

Blackpaw reverted her attention towards her fellow apprentices, who were gathering around Dawnpaw.

"Will she be alright?" Lionpaw asked with concern. "She doesn't look very good..."

"She will be alright!" snapped Runningpaw, who was licking her largest wounds. Blackpaw pushed herself through the crowd to see her sister.

Dawnpaw had been shredded.

Her flank lost almost all its fur, and she was laying in a pool of blood. Her eyes were closed, however, she was barely breathing.

Blackpaw yowled an expression of sorrow. How could any cat do this to sweet, gentle Dawnpaw? They all were barely even apprentices!

The light brown tabby she-cat coughed out a stream of blood and let out a horrible shriek. Pinestep rushed over from Patchstar's aid.

"Oh, no," she meowed. "Get back," she gasped, almost without air. She examined Dawnpaw thoroughly, then rushed over to Robinfeather.

"I _need_ to go back to camp, with Snowpaw," she meowed, her voice quick and tinged with worry. "Dawnpaw needs herbs, now!"

"You may travel with Snowpaw, Lionpaw, Seedpaw, and Pebblepaw, to gather your herbs," Robinfeather told her with warmth in her eyes. Blackpaw's mentor, who was also the deputy, was such a warm-hearted cat. Blackpaw admired that about her. Pinestep nodded, and gathered the apprentices.

"Can I come? I may not be able to fight, but I can carry bunches of herbs," Runningpaw said to Robinfeather.

"No, Runningpaw. You need to stay with Dawnpaw for now. You too, Blackpaw," she told the two cats.

Runningpaw rushed over to Dawnpaw as Pinestep left. "I hate those HoneyClan cats!" he yowled. "I hate them!"

"Shh, Runningpaw. We need to be quiet, you're disturbing Dawnpaw." Blackpaw mewed calmly, even though on the inside she was being torn apart.

_Why__, __StarClan__, __why __did __this __have __to __happen __to __Dawnpaw__... __What __did __she __do __to __deserve __this __punishment__?_

"What happened to her?" Cherrydrop murmured coldly, her gaze trapped on Dawnpaw.

"A sleek HoneyClan she-cat did this. We tried to stop her, and Blackpaw clawed her belly." Runningpaw muttered with pride.

"You needed to try harder!" she retorted. "You two are just stupid kits who couldn't even save your sister!" She turned her head and padded back to sit next to Rockpelt.

"I guess it's the truth," muttered Blackpaw. "We needed to try harder."

_The __next __time __I __see __that __she__-__cat__, __I__'__m __going __to __shred __her__!_

. . .

"The HoneyClan cats have gone to their own territory." Pebblepaw told the waiting MudClan cats, after gathering Pinestep's herbs.

"Thank StarClan!" Larkcry exclaimed. "Let's go, Seedpaw."

The gray striped she-cat bowed her head to her mentor in submission.

"Blackpaw! Get by me," Robinfeather ordered. The apprentices began to line up beside their mentors. Dawnpaw was still unconscious, but Patchstar had woken up. He had seemed rather dazed since he lost his life.

"I'll carry Dawnpaw," he mewed, and picked up his kit in his strong, broad jaws. He walked in the front, beside Robinfeather.

The cats began to leave their makeshift camp. The only elder, Barkleg, was limping behind them all until he finally collapsed. Pinestep rushed to his aid.

"Barkleg is in StarClan now," she murmured. "It was his time."

Blackpaw didn't know Barkleg well, but she dipped her head in respect. Stripedbelly and Poolripple helped carry him back to camp for a burial ritual.

The moon was high in the sky now, and the big ordeal with HoneyClan robbed the cats of their day.

Once they found their camp once again, Patchstar was surpirsed. "They only took our prey," he murmured around Dawnpaw's light brown fur.

Patchstar laid down Dawnpaw in the center of camp for Pinestep to tend to her. There were already many poltices and cobwebs on her wounds, but Pinestep shook her head. "Her fate is in the paws of StarClan. She'll have to spend the night in my den so I can keep checking on her."

"That means we will be by her side, too," Runningpaw mewed with determination.

"No," Robinfeather interrupted, "You need to get settled in the apprentice's den. Pinestep will take good care of Dawnpaw."

Runningpaw hung his head, disappointed.

"Tomorrow, Stripedbelly and I will be teaching you the morals included in the warrior code because obviously HoneyClan lacks them." Robinfeather told the two apprentices. "Be ready to wake up early."

"Yes, Robinfeather," the 'paws told the deputy.

Barkleg was laying in the center of the clearing, now laden with rosemary and different herbs. Sandflower was grooming his pelt, beside Stripedbelly.

Patchstar, tail drooping to the ground and caked with dust, summoned Pinestep and the two cats walked into his den.

Curious, and without supervision, Blackpaw walked over to sit beside the shrub, hoping they couldn't scent her.

"...you need to hear what StarClan has told me." She recognized Patchstar's low voice.

"'Because of the red berry's wrong decision, the sun, moon, and star's reign will end, and the reign of the dark bird will begin, ending the Clans as you know them today. Prepare for the end of StarClan's guidance."

"StarClan is abandoning us?" Pinestep tried to keep her mew quiet. She seemed to only pay attention to the last of the prophecy "They never warned me about any of this!"

"They didn't tell me they were abandoning us, Pinestep," he meowed harshly. "They just told me StarClan was ending."

"They are going to stop existing! You don't think that is abandoning us?"

"Obviously they can't do anything about it. When Rainstar told me, her gaze was very sorrowful, like she just had a fight with someone." Patchstar's meow started to waver with sadness.

"We can't tell anyone, not yet, until we know this is solid." Pinestep was grave.

"I agree."

"Well then, our Clan needs attending to." Pinestep stood up, and Blackpaw scurried away.

"_Because __of __the __red __berry__'__s __wrong __decision__, __the __sun__, __moon__, __and __star__'__s __reign __will __end__, __and __the __reign __of __the __dark __bird __will __begin__, __ending __the __Clans __as __you __know __them __today__. __Prepare __for __the __end __of __StarClan__'__s __guidance__."_

Everything Blackpaw ever knew was ending, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.


	5. Chapter 4 - Reunion

Chapter 4 - Reunion

Blackpaw found herself in a wide, heather-scented meadow, with one side lined with a forest.

A butterfly fluttered by, tickling her pink nose with its blue and black wings. She focused on the butterfly, determined to catch it. The beautiful insect teased her, as it rushed past her nose once more. Blackpaw unsheathed her claws and leapt to reach it.

The wing got hooked in her claw and the butterfly struggled to get free. She let it go, and watched it fly away into the bordering woods. Shifting her vision to the land below the place the butterfly disappeared, she saw Dawnpaw resting.

"Dawnpaw!" Blackpaw exclaimed, overcome with excitement. She was all better now!

Dawnpaw's eyes flicked open, and she raised her head warily. "Where... am I?" Her voice was smooth, and had a different ring to it that almost sounded like an echo.

A grave thought hit Blackpaw; where were they? The last thing the black she-cat remembered was laying in the apprentice's den, in the same nest as Runningpaw...

"You're dreaming."

The voice came from behind Blackpaw. Dawnpaw's eyes widened as she focused on the unknown cat behind her sister. The apprentice turned around to greet the cat, with confusion in her gaze.

The cat was not that much bigger than Pinestep, with the same petite stature and texture of fur. She looked like a pinecone, but only with blue-gray and white fur.

"Who are you?" Dawnpaw asked, her voice not wavering at all._That__'__s__strange__, _Blackpaw thought. _Dawnpaw__is__usually__so__timid__._

"I am Rainstar," the she-cat mewed. "I was the leader of MudClan before Patchstar."

"You look like Pinestep!" Blackpaw told her analytically. Rainstar purred.

"Of course I would. Pinestep is my daughter, young kits." _She__acts__like__Pinestep__!_

Dawnpaw cocked her head innocently as she looked across the perfect meadow. "Why isn't Runningpaw here?"

"He doesn't need to be," Rainstar answered. Just then, another cat appeared beside Rainstar, with a starry pelt.

It was Barkleg!

"Barkleg!" yowled Dawnpaw, chirpy to see such a familiar face.

"Follow me, young Dawnpaw." Barkleg looked so young, with his fur beautifully groomed and a bright spirit in his eyes. As the light tabby she-cat stood up to follow the elder, Blackpaw realized what was happening.

_No__!_

"Dawnpaw!" Blackpaw yowled. "Don't leave me! Don't leave MudClan!"

"But it feels so nice here, and I'll get to meet everyone. I'll be fine, Blackpaw, and I can visit you any time I want. Right?" Her gaze reverted to Rainstar.

"No, young one. You must stay in StarClan. Everyone is very excited to meet you." Rainstar's answer was coated with sadness, directed at Blackpaw.

"Why did you have to take her from me!" the sleek black apprentice spat at the StarClan warrior as soon as Dawnpaw was out of hearing range, walking out of sight beside Barkleg.

"Why do you want your sister to suffer?" Rainstar hissed, suddenly angry. "Are you that selfish that you would rather your kin to wither away in agony, just so you can get comfort?"

"She is so young!" bawled Blackpaw. "She wanted to have kits. Dawnpaw would have been the best mother to her kits."

"I know, little one." Rainstar had calmed down a bit. "I know. But the reason for you to be here is to talk to us about what you heard."

Blackpaw swallowed loudly. StarClan knew she heard the prophecy from Patchstar?

"You should not have listened in to a conversation between a leader and his medicine cat." Rainstar told her furiously. "That is classified information a kit should not know."

"I am an apprentice!" Blackpaw's tail whipped in the air as she unsheathed her claws and dug them in the ground.

"Settle down!" The spiky gray-and-white she-cat flicked the apprentice with her tail. _How__dare__she__!_ "I need you to meet two of your kin, who are only a bit older than you."

Two streams of stars began to trickle down, forming two tiny kits. One looked a lot like Runningpaw, and the other looked a bit like Patchstar, with the same black-and-white fur, only this kit had a pointed face Blackpaw had never seen in a cat before.

Rainstar looked down at the kits with warmth in her eyes. "This is Birdkit," she referred to the kit with a pointed face, "and this is Speckledkit." The brown tabby tom blinked slowly.

"These are your littermates," Rainstar added. "They died only a day after you all were born, because of their tiny size."

"So you are Blackpaw," Birdkit meowed. The kit had so much wisdom in his voice for such a small body! "Do you remember us at all, littermate?"

Blackpaw was thrown back in her memories, faintly remembering a time that was so long ago. It was hard to remember a time when you couldn't even see anything!

She recalled being warm and the nursery smelled like sweet milk. She remembered Sandflower's scent, and the scent of a tangy herb. She was in the middle of two kits while nursing, and she tried to remember the scents...

The kit on one side smelled like Birdkit, and the kit on the other side was definitely Dawnpaw, such a long time ago, before she had to leave for StarClan.

"I remember you," she murmured, and rubbed against the two kits. "My lost brothers."

"They are here because they deserve to let you know of the future, because they were such a small part of your past." Rainstar interrupted their reunion.

"Yes," Speckledkit mewed. "You heard the prophecy, yes?"

"I did." Blackpaw was nervous; where were they going with this?  
"That is all we needed to know, for now." Birdkit nodded to his brother. Why such a big entrance if all they needed to ask was a yes or no question?

"We must leave you now, Blackpaw. Robinfeather is going to be awake soon," Rainstar added, and Blackpaw was suddenly removed from the meadow, thrown into a pool of blackness.

She opened her eyes, and she was back in the apprentice's den.


	6. Chapter 5 - Reminiscence

Chapter 5

"Do you think you would be able to train at all today, apprentices?" Stripedbelly meowed towards the medicine cat den, where Runningpaw and Blackpaw sat, mourning their sister. Rockpelt had joined them, but left earlier to leave for a hunting patrol.

"I guess," muttered Blackpaw. Runninpaw nodded, but his eyes were filled with part sorrow and remorse.

When the Clan heard about Dawnpaw's death, they seemed almost in denial. The trees, all brown and orange getting ready for leaf-fall, decided to cry for the young cat, their leaves drifting through the valley and covering everything in sight.

"Let's go," Robinfeather chided the apprentices towards the dead vines at the entrance. Blackpaw felt like a hollow shell.

As they were walking, they met the pathway up to the top of the valley. "This will be your first time going up the valley, so we will be behind you to catch you if danger arises."

Blackpaw used her thick claws to grab a hold of the side of the rock, with Runningpaw right behind her. Another crevice was up ahead, almost out of the reach of her paws. She launched herself up the slope, and almost slipped twice more. But she finally got a pawful of dirt, and knew she was at the top.

_Wow__._

The ground was dappled with rays of sunlight, flitting through the trees. Early morning dew made all the leaves on the trees sparkle. There was moss lining the ground by various trees, and a pine here or there. The trees seemed to go on endlessly.

"This is the top of the Great Valley." Robinfeather meowed. "That climb up here will get easier as you keep doing it."

Muscles rippled underneath Stripedbelly's pelt as he reached the top. The four cats padded towards a place with many pines, a place Blackpaw knew had to be the Pine Grove. Silverstar had mentioned he wanted a strip of territory around here.

"Are we going to the big mud patch?" Runningpaw asked Stripedbelly. The senior warrior nodded, and it seemed as if he was going back in his memories. _That__'__s __right__! __Stripedbelly __had __also __been __Robinfeather__'s __apprentice__._

A pang of pride hit Blackpaw as she thought of Robinfeather; the deputy was a very old cat, older than Patchstar, and still was serving her Clan well, behaving like a younger cat. The flat-faced she-cat had obviously been through many battles in her time; scars all over her big ears and her face. Blackpaw made a note to remind herself to ask Robinfeather about one of the many battles she was in.

"Okay, 'paws, it's also time you learn how to disguise yourself." Stripedbelly stifled a purr. "Let's see what you can do right now."

Runninpaw's eyes lit up, the first time they did since they were kits. He flung himself into the giant mud patch, covering his whole body in mud.

"Now you, Blackpaw," Robinfeather chided, and nudged Blackpaw into the mud. She yowled as she lost her balance. _Why __did __she __have __to __push __me __into __the __mud __like __that__! __I __would __have __gone __in __eventually__... __maybe__... _Blackpaw sighed as the sticky substance ruined the sleekness of her fur and caked it all together.

"Now, apprentices, that is the wrong way to disguise yourself. Remember we aren't just rolling in the mud, we also need to shape that mud in a way to make you look like one of your surroundings." Robinfeather trotted over to the nearest tree and climbed up. She used her teeth to nibble of a branch with many leaves, and let it fall to the ground. As she lowered herself, Stripedbelly started tearing off the leaves. Robinfeather wasn't done gathering supplies yet, though, as she picked up some pebbles and brought them over to the leaf pile Stripedbelly made.

"Now, apprentices, leave the mud patch and come up here." Robinfeather sat down the pebbles. "You two will be putting these various supplies on yourselves so that if you crouch, you don't smell like a cat, look like a cat, or act like a cat."

"Since it is leaf-fall, we can use leaves," Stripedbelly added. "The goal is to make you look like you are a part of the ground, so if prey sees you, they don't notice you."

Blackpaw's eyes widened. This sounded like fun! She clawed over a few leaves and set them on Runningpaw's back. Then she gathered a few pebbles and to get them to stay, she had to hold them on a bit longer. Now it was her turn.

"Great, Blackpaw! Now, Runningpaw, crouch. See how he looks like a part of the ground?" Stripedbelly was nodding in approval. "Remind me to teach them how to crouch," he muttered, aside to Robinfeather.

"Okay, Runningpaw, you can disguise Blackpaw now." Robinfeather meowed. Blackpaw could tell the senior warriors were getting quite the kick out of this.

After various attempts at crouching after Runningpaw was done, Robinfeather sighed. "Now it is time to teach you the warrior code."

"I know the warrior code already!" spat Runningpaw. There was anger in his voice. _He__'__s __remembering __Dawnpaw__, _Blackpaw thought with sadness. _She __should __have __been __here__, __too__._

"The first rule of all warriors is," Stripedbelly had to think, going way back in his mind to recite this code correctly, "'Defend your Clan, even with your life. You may have friendships with cats from other Clans, but your loyalty must remain to your Clan, as one day you may meet them in battle."

Blackpaw thought of the sleek she-cat that killed Dawnpaw, only yesterday. _That __seemed __so __long __ago__._

Now Robinfeather recited the next rule. "Do not hunt or trespass on another Clan's territory." That rule, Blackpaw thought, was the best one so far. It was Stripedbelly's turn next.

"Elders, queens, and kits must be fed before apprentices and warriors. Unless they have permission, apprentices may not eat until they have hunted to feed the elders. If any warrior or apprentice is sick or injured, they may eat while the elders, queens, and kits are eating."

"That's not fair!" Runningpaw interrupted, but the two warriors silenced him with a glare.

Robinfeather swallowed. "Prey is killed only to be eaten. Give thanks to StarClan for its life."

"The next one, you are familiar with." The dark tabby tom stood up to stretch. "A kit must be at least six moons old to become an apprentice."

The ginger she-cat nodded in agreement. "We will continue this session tomorrow. That is all you must know for now. Let's make our way back to camp."

Blackpaw didn't realize how late it had gotten. The sun was already setting and nightingales were out, singing.

. . .

Once they were at camp with full bellies and clean fur, Blackpaw curled up in the apprentice's den, now in her own nest. Some 'paw had been nice enough to make one for her while she was out with her mentor. Seedpaw, Lionpaw, Pebblepaw, and Runningpaw were already asleep, some snoring. Blackpaw had been the last apprentice to settle down.

As soon as she was dozing off, she heard an apprentice trudge in slowly, quietly. Blackpaw kept her eyes closed and scented the air.

_Snowpaw__?_

"Oh, mouse-dung!" he whispered, and padded quickly and quietly out of the den. What was that for?

Blackpaw could not help herself; she had to ask Snowpaw what he was doing in the warrior apprentice den? She stood up out of her nest, with her muscles aching in protest.

The camp was almost empty, only with the two warriors who were night guards. She listened to their conversation, hoping her black pelt helped disguise herself in the darkness.

"That poor apprentice died so early. I wonder if she's met with her two brothers yet." Blackpaw recognized Poolripple's sharp, unsettling voice. The cat who accompanied her sighed. "All I know is that we need more warriors, and HoneyClan did not help one bit. Patchstar's talking to Silverstar at the next Gathering." The other cat was Larkcry.

Blackpaw sighed when she saw Dawnpaw's body in the clearing, with no cat sitting vigil for her. She was... forgotten.

Snowpaw's intrusion seemed unimportant now. She could find out about that in the morning, but right now she needed to put Dawnpaw first.

The green-eyed apprentice settled herself down next to her sister and reminisced about their fun times together: tossing a moss ball around the clearing as kits, putting a beetle on Runningpaw and watching him run around in circles trying to get it off, exploring the warrior den much to Stripedbelly's disappointment, and going on their first walk around camp with Patchstar.

A pang of great sadness overwhelmed Blackpaw. _My __only __sister __is __gone__. __But __she __isn__'__t __suffering __any more__._

A starry figure appeared in front of Blackpaw. _Dawnpaw__?_

"It's okay now, Blackpaw." she comforted her sister. "I may never have kits of my own, but I will be able to watch you grow and see you have your own." Then she left, leaving nothing behind.

_Such __a __loving __life__, __gone__._

Blackpaw stifled a yowl of sadness as she pressed her pelt against her sister's, for the last time. Dawnpaw's spirit would last forever, in Blackpaw's memory. She made a promise, to StarClan.

_Before __StarClan __abandons __us__, __I __promise __I __will __live __on__. __For __Dawnpaw__._


	7. Chapter 6 - The Cavern

Chapter 6

"Now try the back-kick on Seedpaw."

Muscles rippled beneath Pebblepaw's speckled gray fur as she followed her mentor, Patchstar's, order. She judged Seedpaw's distance from her carefully, eyes steady, then took her weight on her front paws, something she had trouble with earlier. "Good!" Robinfeather encouraged, as she lashed out with her back legs, knocking her sister off the ground.

Blackpaw admired the older apprentices' work ethic.

"Now, Blackpaw, try to defend against Seedpaw's front paw blow. Remember, claws sheathed," Robinfeather instructed, remembering the nick in the ear Pebblepaw got earlier from Runningpaw.

Seedpaw balanced her weight, and Blackpaw watched her muscles move. She remembered she had to use her mind and look at her muscles to see which paw she would use. The cats circled the fighting ground, hissing as if they were actually in battle.

Seedpaw flashed out her paw, and Blackpaw turned quickly, using her flank to defend the head-battering move. She didn't get a scratch.

Pebblepaw snickered at the young apprentice.

"I bet even Poolripple's kits could defend themselves from a front paw blow!" she teased, whiskers twitching. Robinfeather ignored the apprentices' chatting and nodded her head at Blackpaw, approval in her eyes.

"Poolripple's kits aren't even born yet, moss-brain!" Runningpaw meowed at the apprentices. Poolripple had just revealed to the Clan she was expecting Rockpelt's kits.

"I'll try harder next time," she promised Robinfeather.

"That's what I like to hear," the ginger she-cat murmured with warmth in her voice. "Dawnpaw would be proud."

"You didn't know Dawnpaw!" the sleek black apprentice couldn't help but shout at her mentor, but it was true. The ginger she-cat bowed her head and whispered, "I know."

Now it was Runningpaw's turn.

"Do a leap-and-hold!" Blackpaw screeched to Runningpaw, hoping he could hear her over the noise of the battle.

He did, magnificently. Runningpaw used his claws to grip on the back of Lionpaw as the creamy white tom ran around, useless.

"Back-rake!" she instructed her brother again. He followed her orders, with claws sheathed.

"Well done, Runningpaw. Now if you could do that with a bit less instruction," Patchstar shifted his eyes to Blackpaw.

"You mustn't distract the training apprentices, Blackpaw!" he hissed at her. Blackpaw lowered herself onto the ground in submission.

The remainder of the day Blackpaw had to sit at the side of the training area, watching, instructing in her mind. She got disappointed when the apprentices didn't use the most logical moves, but kept her mouth shut in respect to Patchstar.

"Training is over for today, apprentices," the leader announced. The giant black-and-white tom's eyes were proud as he looked at each apprentice. Pebblepaw was snickering to Seedpaw about the tiny black apprentice on the way back to camp. They passed the little mud patch by the entrance.

"Oops!" Pebblepaw purred as she knocked Blackpaw into the deepest part of the mud patch, on purpose.

"Pebblepaw, would you like to gather moss for the nursery for the next quarter moon?" Patchstar told his apprentice sharply.

"No," Pebblepaw mewed, almost incoherently.

Blackpaw decided to ask Robinfeather if she could talk to Pinestep. "Sure, but don't be long," her mentor mewed, obviously happy that her apprentice helped cats at other times rather than when she was just told.

Blackpaw slipped into the rocky cavern area beside the nursery shrub that was the medicine cat den. A skylight let some light in, and the rock under Blackpaw's pads was soft to the touch, worn down by generations of cats who lived before her.

"Pinestep?" the apprentice called into the shadows of the cavern, but no cat answered. She followed Pinestep's scent into a narrow cave, almost hidden by dead vines and piles of herbs. Blackpaw, curiosity getting the best of her, decided to explore into the cave.

It was completely dark, and the black she-cats eyes had to blend in with the darkness. The air inside was stale, and Blackpaw scented the mustiness of dust and stone. Following the medicine cat's scent, she finally stopped in a giant, pitch-black cavern that had tunnels branching off in different directions. Blackpaw stopped at each tunnel, scenting the air. Few tunnels smelled of moisture and ancientness, one smelled of Pinestep and one had the faint scent of... other cats.

The scent was not the sickening sweet scent HoneyClan cats have, nor was it the earthy, musky scent MudClan cats had.

It was the scent of stone, of fresh rain and of the cave itself. Blackpaw had to have been far, far away from the medicine cat den by now, and if she ran into Pinestep she surely would be scolded. Blackpaw could not risk a scolding in front of her whole Clan. In order to make sure no cat knew she had gone this way, she ran her paw along the ground until she found the familiar feeling of mud.

There was not a lot of mud, but just enough mud to cover her scent. After getting the mud caked in her fur without any particular pattern this time, Blackpaw decided to go into the tunnel that smelled of the stone cats.

Blackpaw's breath got quieter as the scent of the cats got stronger. There had to be a lot of these cats, but it didn't matter, anyways. She couldn't stop now.

Quietly, keeping herself from making any noise at all, she heard a voice. It was not any voice she recognized.

"Wildstar isn't doing well today, Emberfoot. I think it is almost time that you will become our rightful leader," the cat mewed happily. _Who __would __be __happy __about __their __leader __dying__?_ Blackpaw wondered, then realized.

This was another Clan! Did Patchstar know about this Clan?

Blackpaw needed to run back and tell them all _now__,_ but something furry blocked her way as she tried to turn around. Sheer horror spread throughout Blackpaw as she realized what the furry being was.

"What are in StarClan's name are _you_ doing here?"


	8. Chapter 7 - Falling

Chapter 7

"What are you doing in these caves?" the cat repeated the question. Blackpaw strained her eyes to see the cat.

She looked exactly like Dawnpaw did, only bigger. _Eery__._

"What are you doing here, kit?" the Dawnpaw look-alike repeated, with an acid-like tone of voice.

"What are _you_doing here?" Blackpaw retorted. "This is MudClan territory!"

"Not in the tunnels, it's not, kit," the cat yawned uninterestingly now. "This is StoneClan. I'm sure you've heard of us before?"

"No, not at all," Blackpaw choked out, still horrified by the Dawnpaw look-alike. _StoneClan__? __Does __Patchstar __know __about __this __Clan__?_

"I'm Duskfire. I guess I should take you to our leader, Wildstar, to see what to do with you," she sighed, obviously bothered by the intruding apprentice.

Blackpaw complied and followed the light brown tabby she-cat to an odd cavern. It had a hole in the opening, so there was light in the camp.

"This is your camp?" Blackpaw asked, as she saw some warriors sharing tongues and apprentices training.

"Yes. None of these cats have ever been aboveground, except Wildstar," she added. _Never __been __above ground__? _No wonder why none of these cats had shiny pelts, and they all looked sickly.

A she-cat was bringing a stiff-looking mouse to a smaller looking apprentice, who was the sickliest of all. Then she noticed Blackpaw.

"Intruder!" she screeched, and all the warriors stood up. Blackpaw could see all their ribs! What a Clan this was!

"No, just a nosy apprentice," Duskfire sniffed disdainfully. "I'm taking her to Wildstar."

"Don't bother with that old cranky moss-brain," a senior dark gray tom growled. "He doesn't even know what he's talking about half the time. Ask Emberfoot what to do with her."

Duskfire nodded. "Yes, Swiftstare. Come on, kit, follow me."

"I'm not a kit!" Blackpaw hissed. "I'm an _apprentice_!"

"Fine then. Still, follow me." Duskfire's tail was waving in the air, the tip twitching as she led the green-eyed, mud-covered apprentice into another cavern, darker than the main one.

"Emberfoot?" Duskfire asked timidly. "Wildstar?"

In the distance, Blackpaw saw two shadowy cats. One was laying down with its legs spread in awkward positions, and there was another who was sitting with its back crooked, looking down on the cat in distress.

"Yes, Duskfire?" a voice rasped back. It was a female cat.

"We have a nosy MudClan apprentice on our hands," the Dawnpaw look-alike mewed. How could Duskfire act so happy all the time, when her Clanmates are obviously starving to death?

Emberfoot hissed. Her hiss was horrifying, and Blackpaw scooted back behind the light brown tabby.

"Let MudClan find their own apprentice!" the cat growled, then whispered quietly, "Wildstar just lost his life."

Duskfire's eyes widened. "You need to name a deputy! Does Shadepelt know?" Then she turned towards Blackpaw. "Stay in the camp, with the other apprentices. We're just going to keep you here until your Clan finds you."

The mud-caked apprentice turned around and used her scent glands to find her way out. Another she-cat, one with a solid black pelt and white ears, was going into the cavern. She ignored Blackpaw on the way in.

The cave these StoneClan cats lived in was beautiful. There were pointing stones that looked like cat's teeth around the barrier of the camp area, and they glittered in the sunlight that flooded the camp from a small hole in the ceiling. _No__dens__,_ Blackpaw noticed. Then she spotted two other cats, about the same size as she was, battling in a shadowy area.

"Are you apprentices?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. One cat took notice of her and nodded.

"Who are you?" the apprentice asked. Her ears were back.

"I'm Blackpaw, from MudClan. Emberfoot wanted me to stay here until my Clan finds me." she told them, matter-of-factly. She felt so much healthier than these other cats, with their dull fur coats and bald patches. Cats were not meant to live in the darkness at all times.

"Hmm. Well, would you like to share this beetle with me?" the tom mewed happily. Beetles? _These __cats __live __off __of __measly __insects__?_

"No, thanks. What's your name?" Blackpaw sat down and curled her tail around her paws. This cave was _freezing__!_

"I'm Snakepaw, and this is my sister Ripplepaw," the tom said. He was a dark gray tabby and reminded Blackpaw of Rockpelt. Then she saw Snakepaw's teeth.

"Wow! You have huge teeth!" she blurted, and Snakepaw seemed embarrassed.

"Yeah. Ripplepaw told me that my warrior name is going to be Snaketeeth." He sighed. "I hope not."

"Well, if you're going to be Snaketeeth then I'm going to be Blacksoul!" she purred, hoping to cheer up this sickly cat. Blackpaw got an idea.

"You don't look happy here," she mentioned. Snakepaw nodded, but suddenly a warrior appeared.

"Snakepaw, time for training," Duskfire mewed happily, tail twitching with excitement. This must be her first apprentice. "See you, Blackpaw," Snakepaw called over his shoulder as he padded alongside the tan tabby she-cat.

"Why won't Emberfoot let you go back to your Clan?" Ripplepaw asked Blackpaw, eyes shining. Her eyes were the same color as Snakepaws.

"I don't know," Blackpaw told her honestly. "Can you ask her if I can go back?"

"No, she's already leaving to go to the Mooncave to receive her nine lives." Ripplepaw's gaze switched to look at the camp exit, where only the tails of Emberfoot and the medicine cat, Shadepelt, were visible.

_This __is __my __chance__!_

"Look, now that she's gone, I have to go now." Blackpaw told Ripplepaw. "Tell Snakepaw I said goodbye," she forced out, her throat closing. She might as well never see her long-toothed friend again.

"StarClan be with you," Ripplepaw mewed and bowed her head, as if she was praying to StarClan.

Blackpaw stealthily made her way towards the exit, following the stoney scents of Emberfoot and Shadepelt. _I __have __to __be __quiet__._

Farther along the cave, Blackpaw could still hear their voices. The air here was stagnant, so they couldn't scent her... could they?

After a long trek, she found the large cavern. Blackpaw scented each of the large caves, and found the one that smelled most like MudClan.

She slid her paws across the floor, slowly, steadily, without making a sound, when all the sudden...

_Whoosh__!_

The air was sucked out of Blackpaw's lungs as she hit the bottom of a ditch in the cave. It was completely dark, and she strained to see.

_I must__yowl __for __help__. __It__'__s __better __to __be __in __trouble __and __alive __than __to __be __safe __and __dead__._

"Shadepelt! Emberfoot!" she yowled, hoping the cats weren't too far away. Emberfoot had to be getting her nine lives right now. Getting frantic, she started to screech for cats in her own Clan.

"Pinestep! Patchstar! Robinfeather! Sandflower!" She took a huge gulp of air. "Runningpaw! Duskfire! Dawnpaw!" Running out of names, she just yowled for everyone. "Snakepaw! Ripplepaw! Larkcry! Poolripple!" Getting exhausted now, she curled up on the floor of the ditch, with the large cavern only a few tail lengths above her. She was too short to jump all the way back out.

"I need to rest," she told herself, out loud. Blackpaw closed her eyes.


	9. Chapter 8 - She wasn't

Chapter 8

"Blackpaw."

A soothing voice was murmuring to the black apprentice. It felt as if she should have been in the nursery with morning sunlight pouring in, Runningpaw and Dawnpaw at her sides, yawning and waking up tangled in Sandflower's soft fur.

But she wasn't.

The ground beneath the tiny black apprentice was cold and unforgiving, the air humid. Her fur was damp and clung to her skin, making Blackpaw feel claustrophobic. Her eyes stayed sealed shut.

"Blackpaw, wake up. It's time to go."

The voice sounded friendly at first, now it was getting impatient. She groaned and opened her eyes, expecting to be in the apprentices den, getting woken up early by Robinfeather.

But she wasn't.

There was no cat near her, and it was pitch dark. In the distance Blackpaw heard water dripping onto the wet ground. The scents of ancientness and stone clung to her damp, mud-clogged fur as she stood up. Below her was a puddle, now tinged brown from the dir that still hung on her fur.

Blackpaw unsheathed her claws and tried to scramble up to the top of the ditch she remembered falling into. She couldn't get a grip! _StarClan__, __give__me__strength__._

The short green-eyed she-cat prayed to StarClan faithfully, and soon enough she heard a familiar voice in the distance.

"I followed her scent in here, but then it disappeared in the Separated Cavern. Surely she didn't go to those stuck-up StoneClan heathens?"

_Pinestep__! __Why__did__she__call__StoneClan__stuck__-__up__heathens__?_

"I'm in here!" Blackpaw yowled, almost like a screech. She heard the cats' unsheathed claws skittering on the cave floor as they rushed over to her.

"Grab my tail, Patchstar, I'm going in to get her." _Patchstar__was__here__, __too__?_

Teeth gripped Blackpaw's scruff and she felt her feet lift off the ground. She felt like a blind kit getting pushed towards her mother.

"Come on, Pinestep, we must get her to camp. She could be sick." Patchstar's voice was thick with worry. _I__'__m__not__sick__!_

"You could have been killed!" Pinestep lectured the timid apprentice, but her voice softened. "Let's get you out of this watery death place," she murmured and led Blackpaw towards the tunnel towards home.

_One__night__away__from__MudClan__feels__like__a__season__._

. . .

"MudClan, I have been keeping something from you all."

Patchstar didn't even have to use the call, every cat was already in the clearing. Blackpaw's escapade had revealed to Patchstar that obviously keeping secrets kept no cat safe. She had revealed to him and Pinestep every cat she had met on her adventure.

"There is another Clan besides ours and HoneyClan." His voice was full of shame of keeping this from every cat.

Blackpaw heard Seedpaw snicker to Pebblepaw. "Well, duh! StarClan, stupid!" Stripedbelly turned his head towards his kits, eyes like slits. They stared at their father with fear in their eyes.

Their leader ignored them. "This Clan is StoneClan."

Pinestep's head was bowed as she murmured over the many gasps and exclamations shouted in the camp, "It's true. They live in the tunnels connected to my den."

"They live in the Mooncave?" Cherrydrop asked. The spiky-furred medicine cat shook her head. "There are a series of tunnels throughout the ground," she told the warrior. Senior warriors were shaking their heads in disappointment.

"No more secrets!" Stripedbelly yowled. Poolripple joined him, next Larkcry. "No more secrets!"

Blackpaw couldn't help but notice the look of horror that passed through Patchstar's face as the Clan chanted the same three words endlessly. He was staring at a cat in the crowd. The black apprentice followed his eyes.

Was he looking at Cherrydrop?

. . .

"You need to take these herbs."

A bundle of leaves was at Blackpaw's feet. She shook her head. "I'm fine, Snowpaw."

"No, you're not," the solid white tom insisted. "Take them now, or I'll tell Lionpaw you have a crush on him!"

"You'd better not!" Blackpaw was worried for a moment, but she saw a look of mischief in the medicine cat apprentice's gaze. "I will," he mewed. "Oh, Lionpaw!" the amber-eyed tom pretended to call.

"Okay, okay," the black apprentice mewed and gulped up the herbs. She chewed and chewed, but couldn't seem to swallow.

Snowpaw looked down at his feet. "I knew I had put too much." Blackpaw saw his white shoulders hunch in shame, but he sat up again with perfect posture. "Here, let me help, Blackpaw," he mewed and shoved her to the ground. Her head hit with a thud.

She wanted to ask "What are you doing?!" but the leaves blocked her throat. Snowpaw used a paw to tenderly rub down Blackpaw's neck, and surprisingly it made the muscles in her esophagus take the herbs. She swallowed, her mouth extremely dry. "Thanks," she managed to say while sitting up once again.

_Oh__StarClan__. __I__thinks__he__likes__me__._

"Want to meet me at the top of the Great Valley tonight?" Snowpaw asked eagerly. "I want to show you the herbs I used in that poultice." Blackpaw could tell the apprentice wanted her to come so desperately, but she knew she couldn't. _I__have__to__put__the__good__of__MudClan__first__._

"Sure," she mewed, with an ever-so-slight hint of sadness. She craved to just say yes and mean it, but in her mind she knew she could not.

"Okay! I'll teach you the names of every herb I know, in case one day I've eaten too much catmint and can't remember anything..." Snowpaw rambled excessively, Blackpaw noticed. But that was okay. She felt like she didn't have to be just a warrior apprentice around him, she could be a friend. Blackpaw toned out her friend's rambling, until...

"...of course, that's only if her kits can walk. _Then_we can take them with us!" Snowpaw paused to take a breath and Blackpaw took this opportunity to interrupt the cat apprentice.

"Well, okay then, Snowpaw. If I'm going to meet you tonight, I'll need to get some beauty rest now," Blackpaw joked and kept a lighthearted tone. Her whiskers twitched at her own joke, but Snowpaw ruined it with a totally serious tone.

"You don't need sleep to have beauty, Blackpaw," he mewed. Amber eyes were big as they stared at Blackpaw.

"See you later, Snowpaw!" Blackpaw turned tail and started to half-run, half-walk towards the apprentices' den where she could finally get away from this apprentice.

"Tonight, remember!" he meowed after her.

"I promise I will be there!"

"Positive?" This tom was eager.

Blackpaw ducked into the apprentice's den only to stick her head out again and mew a reply back to her eager friend.

"Positive."

But she wasn't.


End file.
